At a time where gun control and violent video games are being debated more than ever, people are forgetting one of the deadliest tools to grace the history of the human race: religion. Rape, murder, genocide, and other atrocities have been enacted time and time again all in the name of whatever spiritual being the perpetrator looked to for guidance. One of the most notorious examples is that committed by the Reverend Jim Jones (James Warren Jones) of the Peoples Temple when he poisoned his entire congregation in the name of his lord. This is something that has been explored over the years in film, books, and more recently, video games. Much like the recent The Church in the Darkness, Sagebrush takes the player deep into the world of a rogue religious sect and their tragic end.

Calling this a game is a bit of a stretch for me, as it is almost strictly wandering around; walking sims incorporate puzzles or additional mechanics to keep the player engaged, but this experience relies almost entirely on storytelling to drive you forward through the short narrative. You’ll spend the entirety of your time exploring the Black Sage Ranch looking for keys and useful items that open up additional areas within the small open world. Traversing the home of Father James and his flock of broken followers, you’ll learn about their past, motivations for joining the church, and the inner turmoil they suffered up until the fateful night of their mass suicide. The writing succeeds in making each and every character feel like a real person that I could relate to, even though I was only reading their journals or listening to recordings tucked away within their personal chambers. This gave me a voyeuristic, dirty feeling, as if I was perusing personal details that I wasn’t meant to see. I can’t help but feel like if the developers would’ve incorporated segments akin to What Remains of Edith Finch (where you would re-live some of the experiences from characters’ pasts) that the experience would be elevated to something truly great.

Despite a somewhat creepy trailer, the only true horror theme present is the fact that people like this still exist in the real world. The game world is almost entirely silent, painting a morose picture that leaves a never-ending sense of dread as you explore the fallen ruins of the ranch that housed so many living, breathing beings in the past and tries to shoehorn in some minor Layers of Fear inspired effects late into the game (this really feels like a case of “too little, too late” due to an unsatisfying climax). The one sound effect that really stands out after the fact is the overly loud creaking that follows a few seconds after any door is opened and closes behind you. At first, this made me question whether I actually was alone on the ranch, but quickly became a mild annoyance that I knew was coming. The voice cast makes up for this, as each and every recorded conversation conveys a true sense of drama, horror, and anything in-between.

Visually, the game is a bit of a mess, looking comparable to a first-person version of the original Silent Hill from 20 or so years ago. Vague, muddy textures make up the bulk of the assets that are included, and those textures popping in and out randomly is a constant concern. This becomes even more problematic the further you get into the journey, as darkness falls upon even the areas lit by your trusty flashlight. It becomes so hard to see and is entirely too easy to get lost in the small open-world setting. Outside of the beginning area that works as a short tutorial (not that it’s really needed), the game leaves you to freely explore as you wish, only locking away the more important areas that require objects or keys which are typically hidden in plain view, working in conjunction with the notes and recorders to give the player a bread crumb trail of sorts.

As a game, Sagebrush is extremely hard to score, simply because it feels more like an interactive research project than a true game. I found the story it tells to be just engaging enough to keep me pushing forward to conclusion, even though I knew exactly where it was headed. I can’t see myself (or anyone for that matter) revisiting the game once the credits have rolled. Clocking in at under two hours for $7.00 at full retail, there are worse ways you could spend your money, but I would only recommend this if cults are something you follow as an interest.

7 out of 10

Pros

• Interesting Narrative
• Stellar Voice Cast
• Excellent Writing

Cons

• Creaky Doors
• Horribly Ugly Visuals
• Great Suspense, No Payoff

Sagebrush was developed by Redact Games and published by Ratalaika Games. It is available on NS, PC, PS4, and X1. The game was provided to us for review on X1. If you’d like to see more of Sagebrush, check out the developer’s official page.

 

Here at GBG we use a rating method that you are more than likely familiar with – a scale of 1 to 10. For clarification, we intend on using the entire scale: 1-4 is something you should probably avoid paying for; 5-7 is something that is worth playing, but probably not at full price; 8-10 is a great title that you can feel confident about buying. If you have any questions or comments about how we rate a game, please let us know.

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